Stories for March 22nd 2013

The economic-trade relations with Argentina are going through ‘their worst moment in a long time’, and the latest measures announced by the government of President Cristina Fernandez have a ‘very harmful effect’ on Uruguay, said Vice-president Danilo Astori on Friday.

Professor Jane Francis has been appointed as the new Director of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Ms Francis, a geologist by training, is Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds where she is currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment.

Under the heading of: “From crisis to opportunity: supporting an effective economic and social recovery with innovation and flexibility”, the World Bank outstands Uruguay as a success story, from the downfall of 2001/02, mainly consequence of the Argentine melting to the sustained recovery since 2004/05.

By Professor Klaus Dodds & Dr Alasdair Pinkerton - The celebrations on Arch Green, outside the Falkland Islands’ Stanley Cathedral, on Monday 11 March, revealed the strength of emotion and passion that has circulated around this referendum process, ever since it was announced in June 2012.

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez announced the government is prepared to make imports more flexible in those areas where a few companies have a quasi-monopoly control, but also warned about windfall profiteering.

“I was surprised that such a small community with so few human resources to organise an electoral act did things so well, so properly, in conformity with international standards. This was a demonstration of a desire that this should be an act of value, not only in terms of its effects in the Falklands themselves, but also for the international image of a legitimate process.”

Moody's Investors Service lowered this week the long-term issuer ratings of Brazilian state banks BNDES and Caixa Econômica Federal, citing their eroding capital position after years of rapid credit expansion, but spared the also government controlled Banco do Brasil.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke admitted speaking to President Barack Obama about his future and that he feels no personal responsibility to stay at the helm until the Fed winds down its unprecedented policies to stimulate the US economy.

Senior Tories were initially sceptical about going to war over the Falkland Islands, newly released papers from Margaret Thatcher's personal archive show. A note from the whips' office following Argentina's 1982 invasion reported solid support for military action from some Conservative MPs, but others were privately hostile.

Brazil hopes to sign a bilateral accord with China to promote trade in their national currencies at next week's BRICS summit of the world's five emerging powers, Trade and Industry Minister Fernando Pimentel said on Thursday.